September 09, 2013

O Simple Things (Le Puducherry Trip)

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha"
That five syllable deep toned laugh.
It had to mean something. (Not in Tamil, we didn't learn a word of it) ... but all five of us knew that in short it (more or less) always signified ki hamara ******* kat chuka hai.

Or maybe it was all random. This whole trip had been one big act of randomness.
Perhaps getting the last five tickets on the last bus leaving was good enough. Rest was all about grouping at Suchitra Biryani in time and we were on our way, involuntarily headbanging, shaking every bone-bone and at times flying out of our seats.
Back seat rides! ...where taking a spoon full of biryani into your mouth could just be the most difficult game you ever played.
***

Muthu guest house was fine. Par two wheelers wahan kya, poore Pondicherry me kahin nhi mila. Weekend rush. Hence all our plying around was Auto-based. And thank God for that...else we would have never met 'Wyaayun'.

Its all about the view, isn't it?

***

Le Cafe

Goubert Avenue did justify all I had heard about the French legacy this place boasted of. Or atleast all names began with 'Le' and 'Rue'.

Goubert Avenue

Le rocky beach

Le escape from heat

Le Gandhi Statue

Le Mandir

The sweltering heat didn't let us linger around much to explore more of the French connection. I personally saw India everywhere. For example, no matter where you are, all auto-walas bargain the same way.
"Bhaiyya auro beach. how much?""10 million."
"Bhaiyya, 2 km only! Google Maps me dekha hai hamne"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha""200 Rupees"
****

Le Auro Beach

All our curses about the heat drowned in the heavy downpour that followed. What followed was, kind of, the high point of the trip. Reaching the beach fully drenched. Entering the angry waters and being thrown around by the waves.
It takes away your tiredness yet exhausting you on yet another level. I do not know, but in some manner, all waters, though same, are different. Be it Goa, Digha or Puri. So was Auro.

<No pictures. Too busy jumping around purposelessly.>
***

'Wyaayoun'

Looking for the right place to eat can sometimes be a little tricky. In this particular instance we went around for two hours, enetering, exiting, Le this and Le that. and thn we decided to visit 'Le Club'.
A swimy eyed auto wala was stopped for us."Le cafe""bdhfg djurf hdhf rydgd""How much""10 million"

He was brought down to a reasonable level and off we went. Realisation dawned upon us that he had been given the wrong address."Bhaiyya not Le cafe. Le club.""sghdg dghsg Le cafe andh dhdg Le club"
And then he miraculously started speaking hindi."Ye Sub-way. Idar khaane ka. Acha hai.""Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha"

But we insisted on Le club.

"agdjf shgr nfhd gkghh".He was singing a song now as he sped his auto like a ferrari. And a moment later brought he ride at standstill right in front of the Le club."Wyaayoun". He said.
I (and others) used all our will power to not end up ROFLing right there on the road.

'Wyaayoun' became he buzz word from there on.

For the way back, we got an auto (who had some union/stand issues). He kind of wanted to snatch us in and zoom off before other auto walas apprehended him.
So when only 2 and a half of us were inside, I said 'wyaayoun', and he was off!
For the next five mintues I was choosing between panicking and stopping my stomach from bursting with laughter.

Because everytime you cant take a picture

In a while, we rendezvoused. Unfortunately, we had been trailed. While he was being cornered, we switched autos and 'wyaayouned' off.
***

After 10 minute long video and so much walking, having to see it from such a distance was a big turn down. Yet it was a sight anyway.

Globe?

Le superman

***Le Paradise

It took an hour to get the tickets for the ferry which would drop us to the island.
And then it took another 3 hours of queuing up to get to the boat.
Finally we got there. Something seemed missing. where was that person, the one who was supposed to come up to us, say something and then follow it up with what we had begun to dread so much.
No one came. We went around the place.
And then looked at each other."Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha"

Rights to exaggeration and bragging reserved.Its not how it happened; its how you remember it.No characterisation intended.Data and information may have been skewed to suit the storyline.Everything is relative to your perspective.